17 Animal Stories From 2022 That Will (Mostly) Tickle You

Pets 17 Animal Stories From 2022 That Will (Mostly) Tickle You Beagles rescued; penguin gets orthopedic shoes; epic kitten roundup; 90-pound dog crawls in bed with strangers; cat rings owner’s doorbell. Reply
About 4,000 beagles freed from an animal research breeding facility in a rescue operation coordinated by the Humane Society of the United States are finding homes new. For the first time in their lives, they will be able to play as beagles should. (Michael O’Connell/Patch )
ACROSS AMERICA — Animals, which don’t exist solely to please humans but often do, gave us many reasons to smile, and also to ponder, in 2022.
Quick poll: Raise your hand if you like to fancy the bison in Yellowstone National Park were just enthusiastically participating in “tourist tossing season” in a rash of incidents in which the lesson learned by park visitors is to pay attention to the signs warning them to keep their distance from the animals, which can run three times faster than humans. These bison vs. tourist incidents happen so often there’s an entire library of social media memes to trot out anytime someone takes on more than they can handle. Read more on Across Wyoming Patch:
Yellowstone’s Bison Mean Business ‘That Bison Saved My Life’ Speaking of bison, Billy took his best shot at freedom and managed to remain on the lam for eight months. He stirred up quite a bit of trouble for whomever owns him. Though the tangled story of how Billy came to live on an Illinois farm will have to be sorted out in court, the animal’s romp was a lifeline for pandemic-wearing Chicagoans. Some have even remarked, “That bison saved my life,” or wondered if they were hallucinating when they looked out their windows and saw a monster bison looking in. Read more on Grayslake Patch: Billy The Bison’s Day In Court Walk Like A Penguin Lucas, a 4-year-old penguin at the San Diego Zoo, has a new pair of shoes — custom orthopedic footwear for the arctic bird with a degenerative condition known as bumblefoot. Without treatment, Lucas could have died. “I’ve known Lucas for a long time, so having the ability to provide him with a chance to live a normal life brings a smile to my face,” said Dr. Beth Bicknese, a senior veterinarian at the zoo. “The boots are cushioned and Velcroed in place, so they will help Lucas to fully participate in the colony and showcase behaviors that are more typical for a penguin — such as climbing the rocks, swimming, nesting and finding a suitable mate.” Read more on San Diego Patch:
Penguin With Foot Condition Gets Custom Shoes Lucas, a 4-year-old penguin at the San Diego Zoo, received custom shoes to help him lead a normal, active penguin life. (Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance) ‘Capturing Our Hearts’ The world’s smallest penguins made their big debut at the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, California, in July. The only exhibit to feature the little blue penguins in the western United States. They are tiny, standing about 12 inches tall and weighing between 2 and 3 pounds at maturity. Jim Beyster, whose family endowed the exhibit, said that for whatever reason — their waddling or graceful swimming — “penguins have a knack for capturing our hearts.” Read more on San Diego Patch: See The World’s Smallest Penguins The Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, California, is the only place in the western U.S. to see the world’s smallest penguins, known for their slate-blue plumage. (Photo courtesy of Birch Aquarium) 4,000 Reasons To Smile The story of beagles (top photo) rescued in July from a Cumberland, Virginia, facility that breeds dogs for medical research gave us about 4,000 reasons to smile. The Humane Society of the United States, which coordinated the rescue effort, called it a “historic moment in animal welfare.” The beagles lived in horrific conditions, never learned to play, but now they’re headed to “grassy yards, couches and walks,” according to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter in Fair Oaks, Virginia. Read more on Fairfax City Patch:
Something To Bark And Wag Your Tail About More Beagles Find Homes Getting all those beagles adopted has been something of a Herculean effort for the Humane Society of the United States and its affiliate shelters. “It takes a massive network of compassionate, expert shelters and rescues to make an operation of this scale possible,” said HSUS shelter outreach and engagement director Lindsay Hamrick. Most of the dogs are “really starting to come out of their shells, and we are starting to see their adorable, distinct personalities shine through,” Lisa Bonanno-Spence of the SPCA of Westchester, New York, told Patch. “A few are still very shy, but we will work with them and find the right home where they can feel safe and thrive.” Read more on Pleasantville-Briarcliff Manor Patch: Research Dogs Reveal Their Adorable Selves One of the 14 beagles received by a Westchester, New York, shelter nuzzles another. (Photo courtesy of the SPCA of Westchester) We Dare You Not To Laugh Kittens. So many kittens. So, so many kittens — all because Robert Brantley, 37, decided to do a good deed. First, there was a single, forlorn kitten at the side of a road in northeast Louisiana. Second, understand something about Brantley: He’s what you could call a tough guy. He describes himself on his Instagram page as a long-range shooter who enjoys “predator hunting.” Don’t jump to conclusions, though. Judging from video, Brantley is as soft and fluffy as that gray-and-white tabby responsible for the tug that made him turn his SUV around after a trip to the shooting range and go on an epic kitten roundup. Read more on Across Louisiana Patch:
‘We Have A Kitten Problem, Hot Diggity Dog’: Video Meow, I’m Home A missing Mastic Beach, New York, cat didn’t just come home after a two-week absence, she rang the doorbell to announce her arrival. Stefanie Whitley and her family were settling in for an evening of reviewing family videos when she received an alert on her phone letting her know someone was at the door, meowing what sounded very much like, “Mom, mom” to many people who saw the doorbell cam video on social media. Read more on Shirley-Mastic Patch: Watch This Cat Ring The Doorbell Lilly Whitley announced her arrival home by ringing the doorbell. (Photo courtesy of Stefanie Whitley) The Tales This Cat Could Tell Carol Lowry never gave up hope she’d find Birdie, her cat, after a two-year absence, but the cat showed up just in time for Christmas. The first Christmas she was gone, in 2020, wasn’t much fun for Lowry, who estimates he put about 1,000 miles on her car driving around Long Island the first week Birdie was gone, “just trying to find her.” She wasn’t convinced when she received the tip the cat had been found after receiving so many tips that turned out to be dead ends. But, “lo and behold, it was her,” Lowry told Patch. Read more on Riverhead Patch: Birdie The Cat Home For Christmas Birdie the cat was missing for two years, but made it home in time for Christmas — and her presents were waiting under the tree. (Photo courtesy Carolyn Lowry Whose Dog Is This, Anyway? Julie Johnson thought one of her dogs had snuggled between her and her husband as they slept. They awoke to a dog they’d never seen before. It took some time to unravel the mystery of the 90-pound nighttime interloper, a bulldog-lab mix named Nala. “It is absolutely normal to wake up in our house with one of OUR dogs in the bed with us,” Johnson prefaced her question on Facebook. “One small problem, THIS IS NOT OUR DOG, nor do we know how she got in our house.” Read more on Chattanooga Patch: Dog Busts In, Crawls In Bed With Strangers Kevin Finds A Home Someone shot six times at a dog named Kevin in a Manassas, Virginia, commuter parking lot and left the animal for dead in April 2021. The dog followed his assailant back to a black SUV, but the driver drove away, leaving Kevin behind. Veterinarians were able to stitch the dog back together, but had to amputate one leg. Almost a year later, he was adopted. Read more on Manassas Patch: Dog Shot, Left For Dead, Is Adopted Kevin underwent multiple surgeries after he was shot multiple times and left for dead. His right hind leg was amputated, and medical staff removed a bullet from his jaw, preparing him for adoption. (Patty Mattes/Manassas Animal Shelter) How Hoarding Happens Not all animal stories are happy tales of reunions and rescues. This story follows two Brick, New Jersey, women who established a rescue and ended up facing charges of animal cruelty after 180 animals were removed from conditions so bad the house was condemned. Read more on Brick Patch: